Home Depot Cashier Charged with Credit Card Theft, Misuse

A 19-year-old Abington man who works as a cashier at the Home Depot store in Upper Moreland Township is facing eight felony charges in connection with his alleged use of a customer’s credit card to purchase items costing more than $1,100.

Joel Evin Carter, of the 2300 block of Triebel Road in Abington Township, was charged on July 14 with four counts of forgery and four counts of accessing a device issued to another person who did not authorize use, all felonies. In addition, Carter was charged with four counts of identity theft, four counts of theft by deception and a count of theft of property lost, all of which are misdemeanor offenses.

According to court records, Carter, while working as a cashier at the Home Depot store in Upper Moreland, rang up a customer at 4:40 p.m. on July 13. The man used his Home Depot card to pay for the items and, according to police, mistakenly left his credit card on the counter.

Carter picked up the credit card and put it in his pocket, according to police. 

About three hours later, “Carter picked items and took them to the self check out station and used the mislaid credit card (of the victim) as if it were his own,” according to the criminal complaint.

Police allege that Carter used the man’s card for a $99 purchase at 7:42 p.m., as well as a $39.96 purchase four minutes later, a $389 purchase five minutes after that and a $573.94 purchase at 10:40 a.m. on July 14.

In all, Carter allegedly used the victim’s credit card for a total of $1,101.90 in Home Depot merchandise, according to court records.

The store’s loss prevention associate confirmed the purchases through Home Depot’s computer and surveillance systems, according to police. The associate also spoke to the victim, who relayed that his card had been lost and that he did not authorize its use.

A manager on duty as well as a representative from the Willow Grove store’s human resources department declined to comment on the matter on Wednesday morning and refused to say whether or not Carter was still employed at the Home Depot. Inquiries were directed to the Home Depot’s headquarters in Atlanta. Those calls were not returned as of Wednesday afternoon.